Corruption complaint now a click away

Bhubaneswar: Aiming to curb corruption among government officials, the State government on Wednesday launched a Facebook page to receive complaints directly from people against bribe-seeking officials.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday launched the Facebook page and a helpline number of the vigilance department.

“The adoption of technology can mitigate various factors which lead to corruption like lack of transparency, cumbersome procedures and delays in decision making,” said a statement from the chief minister’s Office.

The page — www.facebook.com/odisha.vigilance — will be a “milestone achieved in curbing down corruption”, it said.

“The younger generation will be more involved now in fighting against corruption. In reporting bribery and corruption activities through the Facebook page, citizens can not only report crime but also narrate their positive experiences,” it said.

Vigilance department director K.B. Singh said people can also lodge complaints about corrupt officers on toll-free number 1064.

He said the department will conceal the identity of informers and complainants, who are required to type their secret information in the message box in the Facebook page.

The anti-graft department had registered 368 corruption cases in 2014 against 285 cases in 2013.

So far, the anti-corruption wing has registered 98 corruption cases against 47 Indian Administrative Service officers and 11 cases against seven Indian Police Service officers.